Canada to impose 25 per cent surtax on select Chinese-made steel and aluminum products

Canada will be imposing a 25 per cent surtax on select imports of steel and aluminum from China, after unveiling its final list of impacted products on Tuesday.

The surtax on those products will come into effect as of Oct. 22.

“These are very important measures,” Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters on Tuesday. “These are about being sure that Canadian workers and Canadian industry are competing on a level playing field, that they are not facing unfair competition from Chinese overcapacity.”

The intent of the move was first announced in August and follows a month of consultations with stakeholders. It also follows the United States, which is imposing its own 25 per cent surtax on selected Chinese steel and aluminum products as of Oct. 15.

Starting on Tuesday, Canada’s 100 per cent tariff on all Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs), including some hybrids, trucks and buses, also came into effect. Those measures were first announced in late August.

Following Canada’s EV tariffs announcement in August, China announced an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola imports, escalating a trade dispute between the two countries.

CTV News has reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Canada for a response to Tuesday’s announcement on the new 25 per cent surtax on steel and aluminum imports from China.

The federal government says it will review the new measures one year after they come into effect.